NOVANEWS
Israel Hayom
The restrictions on convicted Israeli nuclear spy Mordechai Vanunu are appropriate, the High Court of Justice ruled on Sunday.
The panel, chaired by Chief Justice Asher Grunis, denied Vanunu’s request for an interim order that would have lifted the travel restrictions on him and allowed him to contact foreigners.
A former employee of the Nuclear Research Center in the Negev, Vanunu in 1986 revealed details of Israel’s alleged nuclear arsenal to the British press. In a mission attributed to the Israeli Mossad, Vanunu was captured in Rome and put on trial in Israel, where a special tribunal convicted of him espionage and treason.
In 2004, Vanunu was released from prison, having completed an 18-year sentence. The state has since invoked special statutes to ensure he does not reveal any classified information.
Vanunu is not allowed to change his place of residency unless he clears his plans 48 hours in advance, and must remain in Israel and stay out of diplomatic missions. He must also refrain from any contact with foreign nationals, including by means of online chats.
“The evidentiary material suggests that there is still additional privileged information that [could be jeopardized] by the petitioner,” Grunis wrote.
